After being unable to concentrate on any classes after geography, time quickly passed and finally lunchtime arrived.
“Arthur~ shall we go eat?”
“Sorry! I have somewhere I need to go!”
The moment the bell rang, I kicked off from my seat, leaving Reeti behind, and sprinted full-speed towards the dormitory building.
Since I’ve always been fairly fit, I was able to reach my room without even pausing to catch my breath.
I paused to catch my breath for a moment in front of the door before opening it.
“I’m back- Huff!”
“You’ve returned!”
The moment I crossed the threshold, Lily launched herself at me, hugging me tightly.
“Ah, just a moment, Lily. First, let’s close the-”
-Bang!
…Eh? Was this automatic door of the dormitory closing on its own?
“Do you know how much I struggled waiting for you?”
“Yes, I understand, but can we talk about this at the entrance?”
“Haaak, haaak, I can’t hold it any longer!”
Hmm, she truly looks about to lose her mind.
Let’s try to resolve this without saying much.
Deciding not to resist, I opened my mouth for Lily, who immediately pressed her lips to mine.
“Smack, smack!”
From her frantic sucking, I could tell how hungry she had been.
‘Maybe I should’ve given her more this morning even if I was late?’
But while I was seriously pondering whether I should’ve, at that moment,
“Umm?”
Suddenly Lily stopped sucking.
Then,
“Grr… grrrr…”
She suddenly started sniffing my neck with her nose.
Oh no, this feels like some scene I’ve seen somewhere…
“…A girl’s scent?”
What, now Reeti is doing it and Lily too?
How in the world do they figure this out?!
“Did you go around consorting with another woman?”
Excuse me, Outsider?
Your tone has gotten quite aggressive!
“Yes! Her name is Reeti… someone I’ve become close with-”
“A woman?”
“…”
“A woman.”
Oh man.
Because we were in such close proximity, Lily’s face filled my view.
The once clear black of her eyes had transformed into a chilling red.
“Arthur.”
Her whisper, without lowering her gaze, carried a cold chill, much like the winter cold.
“….Yes.”
“Is it that I’m not enough for you?”
“Huh?”
“Did you get so lonely for a woman?”
How did the conversation suddenly turn into this?!
“Lily, the relationship with Reeti is absolutely nothing like that, and I would never even think of it!”
“Hmn…”
“Also, if you meet Reeti, you’ll understand. She’s closer to being a man than a woman. It’s like God made a mistake and swapped her spirit and physical genders!”
“Hmn…”
She didn’t seem at all convinced.
Damn it.
I need to take drastic measures. If I don’t, who knows what Lily might do right in front of me!
“Lily.”
Gripping my trembling jaw, I let out words without filtering through my brain first.
“I love you.”
“!!!!!”
Lily’s sharp expression suddenly changed. Her pupils dilated greatly, and her face morphed into what people often call a ‘blank expression.’
We had only been together for less than a day, but even then, you have become someone more important to me than anything else. So… please don’t say that you are insufficient.”
“……”
I honestly spoke what I had felt when I left the dormitory in the morning.
Lily opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but then closed it repeatedly.
Clearly flustered, a hint of red even appearing on her face.
Wait, was it that much?
I thought as I reviewed what I said, and heat rushed to my own face.
What the hell did I just say?!
“T, Th, This is in the sense of family! I swear there’s no other implication!!”
I only wanted to express how important Lily is to me…
Though I managed to salvage it late, it might be too late…
Upon hearing my excuse, Lily finally managed to mutter something meaningful.
“T, That’s right. In the sense of family, right?”
“Yes! In the sense of family.”
“……”
“……”
The mood is ruined.
What should I do?
There’s absolutely no way I can look at Lily straight, so I hung my head and stared at my feet.
It was then that a soft voice reached my ears.
“Me too.”
“Huh, Huhhh!?”
I snapped my head up to see Lily looking at me with her usual warm gaze.
“Me too, I love you, Arthur.”
“…”
Upon hearing Lily’s response, I understood.
This was an incredibly intense sentiment.
At the moment I heard it, my brain practically went blank.
The irregular heartbeat that reverberated in my ear made it feel as if my heart had leapt up to my throat.
“Of course, in the sense of family!”
Her teasingly added words made me smile awkwardly despite myself.
“Haha, ha.”
“The way Arthur is so nice. You wouldn’t let your family starve, right?”
Lily tapped her lips with her fingers, then closed her eyes.
It was a clear indication that she wanted me to take the initiative, just like in the morning.
I cupped Lily’s soft cheeks and slowly leaned in for a kiss.
However, Lily’s reaction was different from this morning.
The moment our lips touched, instead of clinging to me like before, she kept her lips firmly closed and waited patiently.
I repeatedly tried to open her lips with my own but they remained steadfast, like a locked gate that wouldn’t budge.
“Uh, Lily? Please open your mouth a bit…”
At that, her lips parted slightly.
I tried pushing my tongue into the tiny gap to force her to open wider…
“Uggh!”
Just as my tongue was halfway inside, her lips tightly shut again.
“Ri, Li, What are you doing suddenly…” (Ri, Lily, what are you doing suddenly…)
Only then did Lily open her eyes and lock gazes with me, smiling mischievously.
And I felt something soft and wet caressing my tongue.
“!!!!”
I was startled as I recognized the sensation I had felt with her fingers in the morning.
A few times, our tongues intertwined, sending a dizzying sensation throughout my head.
Just as my legs were about to give out,
Lily’s head supported me.
Finally, our lips parted, revealing the intimate sight of our tongues entwined.
Lily’s tongue wriggled like a snake, grabbing onto mine.
Though her tongue length defied common sense, I felt entranced by its every move.
As Lily’s tongue pulled back, freeing mine.
“Because you said that I am your most precious, I feel the same way. So…”
Lily’s eyes glowed a bright red.
It sent an eerie shiver down my spine.
Her expression was anything but normal, warped beyond recognition.
But the certainty that this skewed sentiment was only directed at me, and that it wouldn’t harm me, surprisingly made me feel not just safe, but also happy.
“Yes, Lily. I promise.”
The red eyes dulled and quickly returned to their usual black.
“Of course, I should do my part too.”
“N..Ngh?”
“I’ll make you forget about any other woman.”
“What- Ngh…!”
Lily’s ensuing feeding… had a different aspect than usual.
“Chuurrp…”
“!!!!!”
This act, similar to pressing our lips together yet enhanced with a certain addition.
Lily’s long tongue swept through my mouth.
A tingling electric current coursed through my entire body.
The tactile sweetness from Lily’s aggressive lips and the gustatory sweetness from her saliva felt through her tongue—both sensations were unprecedented in my experience.
It was no longer accurate to call this ‘feeding.’
‘This is nothing short of a deep kiss!’
My lower-half problems had already reached their peak.
No matter how much I tried to self-hypnotize that the current act was merely feeding, the pleasure that shattered it all left my head spinning.
“Chup!”
After what felt like dozens of minutes but was actually just a few dozen seconds, Lily smiled seductively at me.
“Hehe. So, aren’t you thinking about another woman?”
Cupping my dazed head, I complained to Lily.
“…First off, we’re not in such a relationship?”
Your Honor, I have been wronged!
“Arthur, what do you think would happen if I were cozying up to another man?”
Of course, the other man would die-
“I don’t want that.”
“That’s right? I feel the same way.”
Ah, this damn feeling.
From now on, I’ll avoid sticking closely with any other women 30 minutes before meeting Lily.
“Still, isn’t your first kiss mine?”
“That’s already mine- Ngh!”
Hey, Lily?
Can you stop interrupting me?
Although the urge to argue about it momentarily arose,
“…”
Her soft, beaming eyes instantly turned my brain to mush.
Ah, if this is how she stops me, I’m all for it any day.
“…”
Lily explained that when one absorbs too much life force at once, it can cause various side effects, even leading to death in severe cases.
Thanks to that, we were now in this situation.
“…Lily. Is this really necessary?”
“Why~?”
“It’s just… I feel a bit shy…”
“Among family members, what’s there to be shy about?”
Is my suspicion correct that Lily is using our familial relationship as an excuse?
Anyway, Lily laid down on the bed… with me in her embrace.
“Or, don’t you like it?”
A genuinely hurt expression flitted across Lily’s face.
“Hell no, it’s great. The best.”
“Haha…”
There was no way I could dislike it.
Who could possibly resist such a warm and pleasant embrace?
Being in her arms made me feel like I was back in my mother’s womb.
No thoughts intruded as only pure happiness welled up.
She stroked my hair gently as she murmured.
“Arthur.”
“Yes?”
“I love you.”
My brain halted instantly.
Though I had heard it before, at that moment, Lily was in the midst of eating.
This time, however, she was Lily in her usual warm self.
Gazing down at me with her soft smile, her whispered words made my heart race wildly.
“And Arthur?”
“Ah, I already answered that, didn’t I?”
“Say it again~ please?”
Faced with Lily’s expectant expression, I found it impossible to refuse.
“…I love you, Lily.”
“Kyaaaaa~!”
Lily crushed me in an incredibly tight hug, jostling me up and down.
The overwhelming pressure pressing against my face made it hard to breathe.
‘Uff! What heavenly softness…! I could die like this and have no regrets~’
“Uh, artificial respiration -”
“It’s fine.”
That was dangerous.
If something enticing were to be offered, she’d immediately rush in and bite it.
I really need to watch my words.
“Arthur, do you understand what I said earlier?”
“…The part where you asked me to prioritize you?”
“Yeah, is that a promise? You must keep it!”
“Yes, I’ll remember… it.”
Lily’s embrace was so warm that I eventually drifted off.
Come to think of it, how on earth am I supposed to control myself?
I looked down at the little contractor snug in my arms.
Watching him sleep peacefully brought warmth to my chest.
“…You’re so cute.”
I reminisced about when we first met as I stroked his nape.
I was hurt and unconscious in the forest by someone I trusted.
Just before completely passing out, I barely managed to transform into a cat. But if they had chased me here…
I would have been as good as dead.
When I opened my eyes again, I was being held by someone.
Thinking it was one of their followers, I struggled, but he softly stroked me while whispering:
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”
The warmth in those simple words must have naturally calmed me. I slipped into unconsciousness once again.
When I opened my eyes again, a variety of fruits were in front of me.
“Eat. Proper nutrition is essential when injured.”
By that time, I had regained enough consciousness to recognize him.
“…A human?”
He was just an ordinary human.
He probably hadn’t been in Dreamland long.
‘But how did he know which fruits are edible?’
Dreamland is not a place friendly to living creatures.
This forest, while appearing peaceful on the surface, is actually filled with various poisonous plants and dangerous animals.
Yet, all the fruits he brought were edible.
“Can’t you eat?… Then, should I feed you?”
Huffing at the added remark, I took a big bite of one of the fruits out of pride.
The sour juice instantly awakened my senses.
“Good job.”
When I bit him on the hand reaching for my head, he pulled away sheepishly.
Staring blankly as I chewed the fruits placed before me one by one.
“Should I get more?”
Frankly, because I hadn’t eaten for a long time, I wanted to fill my stomach with anything.
It wasn’t the main meal, but at least it could help a little.
As I stared silently, he took it as a positive sign and disappeared among the trees telling me to wait.
I stared at the spot where he disappeared until curiosity got the better of me, and I quietly followed.
‘An ordinary human can’t distinguish edible fruits.
Even with great luck, it should be impossible… Could he be one of the servants of Nodens?’
Summoning every ounce of strength from my slightly recovered body, I formed a small venomous dart.
If it turns out he’s one of them, I’ll make sure he suffers a painful death immediately.
How long had I followed in his footsteps? I finally saw his back.
He was crouched in a little patch of grass, concentrating on something.
Trying to approach without being noticed, I was forced to stop at the sound he was making. He was…
“Ugh…Ughh…”
Vomiting.
“Ahk…! This is poisonous. I need to discard all the similar ones. Next is this one… It’s okay… Phew!”
He had neatly placed the fruits and was tasting each one bit by bit.
He would instantly spit out or vomit if it was poisonous and remove it, and carefully put edible ones on large leaves.
“Hack! Ughh…! Phoo, phoo!”
Covering his mouth with his hands, throwing up and scrubbing his tongue, his actions left me in a daze.
‘Why on earth is he doing this? Is he seriously doing this just to feed me? Is he crazy? Does he think this is a regular dream?’
Too astonished to do anything, I was caught staring when he suddenly turned around.
“Oh! Cat! You can walk already? Lucky~ You look much recovered. Ah, do you want fruit? Here, this one was surprisingly tasty.”
He was holding a red fruit out to me, with a faint trail of blood on the corner of his mouth.
It was the first time.
His pure goodwill, expecting nothing in return, was a completely new and fascinating experience for me.
Though I have dealt with many emotions as a food source, most have been calculated favors premised on receiving something in return.
That’s why his infinitely pure goodwill he showed without reservation stirred new emotions in me.
While the cat I once was called this man that way, that man is now sleeping peacefully in my arms.
Wishing he dreams good dreams, preferably dreaming of me, I stroke his head just like he did to me.
“Arthur, you’re my family.”
“My beloved family.”
“You’re the one who taught me new emotions.”
“…”
“Cannot be given to anyone else.”
“He’s mine.”
“My Arthur…”
I love you.
—
